Synopsis

Panicked at being unemployed, she lands a job as a landscaper, but an ugly surprise greets her on her first day. A pile of mulch, a tangerine, and a stolen hoe cast suspicion on Melanie.

Melanie’s efforts to find a murderer instead put a target on her back. Some of the aim is coming from law enforcement, but they aren’t the ones who want to silence her permanently. Life along the Des Moines River in Iowa can be peaceful, but a murderer has no problem disturbing her tranquility.

In this, the first novel in beloved cozy mystery writer Elaine Orr's new River's Edge series, the author once again offers humor, believable characters and tight prose as she carries the reader to an exciting climax. Those who follow her Jolie Gentil series will find themselves right at home.

Great New Series

Full disclosure: I have loved everything of Elaine Orr's that I have ever read, so I came to From Newsprint to Footprints with high expectations. Fortunately for all of us avid readers, all my expectations have been more than met.
From Newsprint to Footprints at first appears as a leisurely cozy mystery written by a skilled author who has a delightful way with language. A book written for easy going moments, when you are reading for shear pleasure. One passage that describes a minor moment serves as an example. Just a couple of sentences captures the scene. It's not a momentous scene, but it fully brings to mind the moment:
About a mile from Keosauqua, a large maple tree lurched into the water. More of the river bank had fallen in since I'd last driven this way. Pretty soon there wouldn't be much land between the road and the river, so there would be some fancy engineering to reinforce the bank. Still, it would be cheaper than moving the road.
However, about half way through the twists and turns of plot the book turns into something more, I don't know, real, on a deeper human level. It's not terrorizing or creepy, just more touching I guess. A much more satisfying read than one usually finds in a cozy. The plot proceeds to unexpected places before the resolution.
Elaine Orr is a joy to read. From Newsprint to Footprints is no exception. The characters grow in subtle ways that are not demanded by plot, but adds to the richness of the novel. Individuals are not obviously good or obviously bad, and figuring out which is part of the experience. I'm thrilled Ms Orr is gracing us with a new series and I can hardly wait for more installments. If you like cozies without on screen violence, if you like authors with a full command of their craft, you'll love this book.

by Elisabethon November 20, 2015

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4.0

Stick to the dayjob

This book showed a lot of promise at the start. The pace was even and rhe story flowed well. Then it got bogged down by beauratic nonsense. Sherif or police just arent that stupid are they or if they are use some creative writing to make them less stupid. I was diappointed with the ending.